Germany and the UK drive stronger GDP growth in the European Union but, growth slows in Japan and the US

Gross domestic product (GDP) in the OECD area rose by 0.7% in the second quarter of 2010, according to new figures.

The increase matched the rate of improvement witnessed in the previous quarter.

Real GDP grew by 1% in the European Union driven by record growth of 2.2% in Germany; its highest rate since reunification.

GDP growth was 1.1% in the United Kingdom, up from 0.3% in the previous quarter; 0.6% in France, up from 0.2%; and 0.4% in Italy, unchanged from the previous quarter.

By contrast, GDP growth in Japan and the United States slowed to 0.1% and 0.6% respectively, compared with 1.1% and 0.9% in the previous quarter.